Of Titles and Job descriptions.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

How my CV would read:

Job Position:
Home Economist, Nutritionist, Hygienist, Logistics and Transportation Specialist, Social Manager.

Education:
Graduate Student in Child Behavioural Sciences specialising in Social, Emotional and Psychological Development.

Reports to: CFO (hubs), CEO (child #1), COO (child #2).

Current salary: Daily unlimited hugs and kisses and neverending questions on the meaning of life.

Fringe benefits: Flexible hours, long lunch hours and coffee breaks, meal and entertainment allowance, unlimited use of company car, significant amount of paid vacation with upper management.

Job requirement:
To sleep with the boss.

Any takers?

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idly mused by GFAD on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, ~ 20 comments

UAE – An abundant oasis of food wonderland

Monday, February 14, 2011

We Malaysians are a spoilt lot when it comes to food. No matter where we are around the world, nothing seems to ever compare to what we can find back home. And we always end up searching in the foreign land for something that is closest to what we grew up eating.

I always complain that there is nothing to eat in Abu Dhabi (AD). Nothing that is remotely similar to what we have in our dai-chow (neighborhood Chinese foodstall), warung (Malay foodstall), mamak (Muslim-Indian food shop) and kedai kopi (local coffee shop) that is. So when a friend, Ciki first asked me to do a writeup on my favourite restaurants in Abu Dhabi, I was flabbergasted. One, a famous blogger like Ciki asking me to write a guest post for her! And two, but there's nothing good to eat in AD!!

And after months of procrastination, and I really mean months, and racking my brains and looking through my archive of photos, I discovered that I had had some really good eats in Abu Dhabi and neighbouring Dubai. We’ve had superb Italian, fantastic Continental, awesome American, tantalising Arabic. So much so that I had problems shortlisting the 5 Ciki requested for!

But anyway, here are the ones which I've finally chosen (in no particular order):

1. Lebanese Flower Restaurant, Defence Road


This place is practically an institution in AD! When AWhiffofLemongrass made a brief visit to the city during a flight transit, the flight attendant recommended this place as THE place to eat an authentic Arabia meal. One of the most popular restaurants in the city, I believe their secret lie in the fast turnover of food, constantly ensuring that all the food are always fresh. Their chicken shawarma (flatbread spread with garlic paste and rolled with slices of chicken roasted on a spit, french fries and pickles) is super moist and super tasty.


You can't go wrong with bottomless flatbread fresh from the oven of the bakery next door, hummus (chickpea dip) and garlic dip (like a garlicky mayo), the quintessential plate of salad, olives and pickles while waiting for your main course of mixed grill (grill lamb and boneless chicken, chicken wing, kebabs, arrayes - grilled flatbread sandwiched with minced lamb) which is big enough to share for 2. Or 3. All for the princely sum of no more than AED60 (USD16). My children love the chicken shawarma (AED6/USD1.65), which I like to think is our Ramly burger for a quick snack on the go. Cheap, fast, fresh and open til late - Lebanese Flower is our version of mamak in AD.


2. Sangeetha Vegetarian Restaurant, Madinat Zayed

There is a plethora of Indian restaurants in town. Mainly because there is such a huge population of Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis in the city. The good news is, we are inundated with loads of inexpensive restaurants offering a wide range of delicious and authentic food from Northern and Southern India. I particularly like the vegetarian restaurants as they have the most amazing curries made from a wide variety of vegetables, beans and lentils and fantastic breads and dosas (pancakes made from fermented rice).


Sangeetha is one such restaurant. This place is not like some of the hole-in-the-wall cafeterias that cater only to the men workers. It's spacious, clean and very family-friendly. Most importantly, they serve hot, fresh food in a jiffy!


I especially enjoy their Mini Tiffin as it has a variety of snacks on one plate plus a cup of chai (tea). There is a small bowl of tiny idlis(rice cakes) soaked in gravy, a small masala dosa (rice pancake with potato filling), a mound of kichadi (savoury semolina pudding), and a vadai (lentil donut), served with sambar (watery dhal curry), coconut and onion chutney and a dessert kesari (sweet semolina pudding). What we know as stringhoppers/putu mayam is called idiyappam and it's served with a delicious creamy kuruma (mild vegetable curry).


Let me say that their vadai deserves a special mention - golden brown crispy on the outside, hot and fluffy on the inside and tastes so, so good!! And what better to end the meal than with a cup of hot frothy chai. Reason the cup comes with a bowl? I'm not quite sure,but I use it to 'pull' my tea to cool it down. I hope that is the reason for it, otherwise the waiters would probably wonder why this weird Chinese lady keeps pouring her tea from cup to bowl and bowl to cup... Again, a fantastic bargain as the both of us can have a decent meal for less than AED25 (USD7).


3. Wasabi, Al Diar Mina Hotel

After a while no matter how enjoyable exotic food is, I will always start to hanker for something more closer to home. And when you're in this part of the world, anything remotely from Far East will hit the spot. And what can be more Far East than Japanese?


Wasabi is one of my favourites not because it's cheap (it's not), but because it serves pork! It isn't easy to find a non-halal restaurant in this Islamic country and I am very thankful that the AD Govt does allow for some establishments to serve this much-maligned meat.


Prices aren't cheap - they range from AED60 (USD16) to AED120 (USD32) for bento meals, but portions are huge making it really value for money. And coming from a place where most Japanese restaurants are halal, it was really an eye-opener to taste pork Japanese-style. Oishii!


I'm no small eater, but one bento meal is usually more than enough for me to share with my 6 year old child. The bowl of seafood over rice was almost like the size of a soup bowl for the entire family! We always leave Wasabi happy and satiated.


4. The China Club, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek

Of course, being a true blue Chinese, there is only so long I can survive without a session of yumcha!! I must admit, AD lacks in decent Chinese restaurants, unfortunately. In my humble opinion, most of the good ones are actually found in Dubai. My favourite restaurant for dim sum is The China Club. Thankfully the decor is modern Chinese with only discreet splashes of red here and there.


Every Friday, they have a fabulous Friday Dim Sum Buffet whereby you order the dimsum fresh from a special menu. As many dishes as you please. As many times as you wish. But pork-free, alas..


All the usual steamed delights like har gau (prawn dumpling), siew mai (chicken dumpling), chicken pau (steamed bun);


fried goodies (beancurd rolls, springrolls, wontons, fried glutinous balls); soup; porridge and noodles you can eat.


Desserts (they serve one of the best red bean soup I've ever tasted, and I don't even like red bean soup!) and tea (Chinese and fruit-flavored English ones) are included as well.


5. Fishmarket, InterContinental Hotel

Every now and then, we like to splurge a bit. Particularly when the weather is gorgeously cool at lower 20sC.


The Fishmarket is a charming place by the sea, serving Thai-influenced Asian food. Sitting al-fresco with the sea breeze and enjoying a glass of wine, it can't get any better than this. Another big plus for us is that the children are suitably entertained with the beach just off the restaurant deck, leaving the parents free to enjoy their food at a more leisurely pace.


It's not unlike those seafood emporium/restaurant you find in Bangkok where fresh seafood are displayed for you to choose from and cooked according to the style you want. It can get a bit pricey and the cooking style is been somewhat diluted to suit more the western palate, but what it lacks in authenticity, the ambience and location of the place more than makes up for it.


We like the way they finish cooking the food at your table before serving it from the little stoves. Although the taste is mild according to our fiery Msian tongue, it's nothing some spicy sauces can't fix, served in familiar blue made-in-Thailand jars.


It's always comforting to eat familiar food - grilled fish and prawns, sweet and spicy squid, mussels, stir-fried kangkong and taugeh (water convulvus and bean sprout) and of course, what would we do without our fried rice.


But the best part is yet to come. The long walk back to the car - it's such a pleasure to stroll through the marina. A lovely end to a lovely meal.


And last but not least, what I feel is the best kept secret in AD. The neighbourhood Afghan bakery.


You can find these little bakeries all over the city. Really cheap at AED1(USD0.27) for a dinner-plate sized thick flatbread. Delicious taken while it's still hot but a tad chewy after it gets cold. One man will roll the dough, while the other with bake it in this in-built kiln-oven. It's not so bad to sit in front of the flaming hot oven during the winter months, but I really salute them for doing the same during blazing hot summer months!


So there you have it. Some of my favourite restaurants in Abu Dhabi. I’m still very much an Asian at heart. Although I enjoy my salads, sandwiches, pastas and risotti, it’s still the flavors of Asia that I go back to time and time again. So yeah, AD does have great food in a variety of cuisine. Even for the fussiest Malaysian!





































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idly mused by GFAD on Monday, February 14, 2011, ~ 13 comments

Living life, surviving death

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

It seems downcast,

a day filled with dark clouds..

Is it possible?

in this place of desert?

where rain is rarely seen?


I look out

The sky is clear

The sun shines bright

Another hot and sunny day

just like any other.

Life goes on,

The sun rises and it sets

Waves roll in, waves roll out

Tides come and tides go.


It is my heart

that is heavy,

My soul

that is saddened,

Death is never easy -

The only thing that is inevitable,

The only thing that is constant,

in this world of constant change


My religion teaches me of detachments

Do not place any emotional attachment

on any thing, any place, any person.

But I have feelings, I have emotions,

I have a heart.

To have no attachments

is asking me not to breathe.


My tears will come,

and my heart will ache.

But in time I will heal

and continue to love, to feel

Until the next heartache comes,

until my love is wrenched from me again.

And it goes on and on and on...

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idly mused by GFAD on Tuesday, September 21, 2010, ~ 7 comments

Pandan Chiffon Cake

Sunday, April 11, 2010
This is one of my favourite cakes. To eat and to make. Making chiffon cakes is kind of like swimming or cycling - it appears difficult to master, but once you know how to do it, you never forget! *grin* But for some reason, although it comes as second nature to me now when it comes to making chiffon cakes, I have never quite managed to handle spongecakes with such ease. I remember my first spongecake - it came out so hard, I could have use it to make a table flower arrangement! Yup, just like those green florist sponge.. ^_^ Even til today, I can never be sure whether my spongecake will turn out or not.

I go back a long way with chiffon cakes (I wrote about it here). I guess it came quite naturally after years of seeing how it's done. But it was also a case of finding the right recipe. I tried a few recipes in my early attempts but I found them to be too dense and not soft enough. Yes, like Harry Potter and his wand, there is a recipe out of hundreds out there, that is just right for you! Mine came from Florence's Orange Chiffon Cake which I adapted into a pandan chiffon. She wasn't kidding when she said it was her "best selling chiffon recipe"! I've never actually made the orange chiffon, I just took her recipe and immediately changed it to a pandan chiffon and it worked even for the first time! It has always garnered positive reviews and I knew this recipe was for keeps! Thank you so much for sharing, Florence!

In case anyone would like to try my way of making a chiffon, here's a detailed-ish pictorial (recipe to follow at the end):

It's basically a 2-bowl operation. One mixture with the egg yolks, and the other egg whites. All the ingredients except for egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar, go into bowl A. The other 3 ingredients go into my food processor using the whisk attachment. My other tools include a spatula and metal spoon.


Florence gave some really good tips for whisking egg whites. One, before adding anything into the whites, whisk until bubbles form. Then sprinkle in the cream of tartar and whisk until it is white in colour. Add in the sugar, 1/3 at a time, whisking well in between the additions, until it is stiff and the peaks don't fall. It will look glossy.


Another good tip from Florence is to add half the whipped whites into the yolk mix and blend it really well. This will lighten the yolk mix and make it easier to fold in the rest of the whites. I prefer to use a metal spoon to fold in the whites because it will cut through the batter without deflating the air bubbles. My mum taught me to fold in a figure 8 motion, that is stir as if I am writing number 8 in the bowl and occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is well mixed.

I have seen some people becoming scared to stir too much, worrying that they might deflate the cake batter and leave small chunks of whites floating in the batter. This will cause the cake to collapse as the chunks of whites will disintegrate as the cake bakes, leaving big gaps inside the cake. So don't worry too much about that and stir as thoroughly and lightly as you can until there are no visible bits of whites left.


When it comes out of the oven, it will be nicely puffed up. But after you cool it by inverting it onto a glass bottle (newer cake moulds will have little legs at the rim, which eliminates the need for a bottle. Mine is inherited from my mum, which means the pan could be about as old as me..), it will deflate slightly. If it deflates a lot, or looks lopsided, that means the whites have not been whipped enough or mixed in properly.

My knife does not seem thin enough to remove the cake. Hopefully, a chiffon cake will come my way soon.. ^_^


Tell me, who can resist a piece of a cottony-soft fragrant piece of pandan chiffon cake? :)

~~~

Pandan Chiffon Cake

Ingredients:
95g plain Flour + 20g cornflour
3/4 tsp Baking powder

85ml Coconut cream (santan) or milk**
60ml Corn oil
1-2 tsp pandan essence

**If using milk, add about 3 tbsp coconut powder to flour

5 egg yolks + 30g castor sugar + Salt 1/4 tsp

5 egg whites + 50g castor sugar + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Method:
1. Sieve both flours and baking powder.
2. Use hand whisk to whisk egg yolks until creamy and light in colour. Add in corn oil then coconut cream (milk) and pandan essence.
3. Add in flour mixture (and coconut powder if using) into yolk mix and mix well.
4. Beat egg white with electric beater until big bubbles formed. Sprinkle in cream of tartar and beat until it is white in colour.
5. Add in 50g sugar 3 times (a little at a time) and beat until stiff peaks are formed.
6. Pour 1/2 egg white into flour mixture in (3) and blend well.
7. Pour in the rest of the egg white and mix until well-blended.
8. Bake at 175C for 35 minutes or until cooked.
9. Invert the cooked cake during cooling process.

~~~

Note: Actually, I have a confession to make. If you look at picture of the cake batter after everything is mixed in, you might notice that there are a lot of air bubbles. It shouldn't. The pictures taken pre-baking and finished product are actually on 2 occasions. Of course when I make a conscious effort to document my recipe, things will not go the way it's supposed to go (it's a known fact, called Murphy's Law..). Never mind the countless (but picture-less) perfect chiffon cakes I've churned out before this. The first cake turned out lopsided (that's how I know lopsided cakes means incorrectly mixed batter..). The second cake, I made with no intentions of writing about it. Luckily I remembered to remind myself to snap photos as it was baking in the oven in case it turned out as it should be and it did!

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idly mused by GFAD on Sunday, April 11, 2010, ~ 16 comments

First Cake of 2010? Nah..

Monday, April 05, 2010
Whaddya know.. we're already into the 2nd quarter of 2010. Ack! Who ever says that?? I only picked it up during my working days, where we need to do a review of the business at the end of every quarter. Bad habits break hard.. :P

Strange that the older I get, the faster time seem to fly. The weeks just seem to swoosh by - we start off slow on first day of school/work on Sunday but in a blink of an eye, it's already Thursday, the last day of the week! I remember how I used to moon and daydream in class, wishing and hoping it's already the last day of the week/term and how the days always seem to crawl at a snail's pace. Maybe it's because as a child, we don't have much to think about other than day to day stuff like homework, exams, parties...^_^ As adults, there always seems so much to think of and plan and worry about...

That's why I like baking. It's my form of escapism. I don't have to do any major thinking or planning. Just flow with the moment - follow the recipe, execute the instructions and by the time you clear up, the cake is done. And then bump! - back to reality..


Here's the recipe for a very rich Sugee Cake by Betty Yew in Asian Delights, All-Time Favourite Recipes.

300g butter
200g + 100g sugar
1/2 cup milk
300g sugee/semolina
14 med egg yolks
4 whites

A:
120g ground almonds
60g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

2 tbsp brandy
2 tsp vanilla essence

Cream butter and 200g sugar til light and fluffy. Add milk a little at a time. Beat in sugee and stand for 1 hour.

Whisk yolks with 100g sugar until thick and light yellow. Add to butter mixture a little a time, beating well with each addition.

Whisk whites until stiff and carefully fold into butter mixture. Fold in A and mix in brandy and vanilla.

Pour mixture into a 25cm square cake tin lined with double sheet of greased greaseproof paper. Bake in 175C for approximately 60 - 70 minutes.

Note:
My small handmixer was barely enough to make this quantity of cake batter. It will be much better to use a stand mixer as the butter-sugee and egg yolk mix becomes quite substantial when you mix them together. I was kind of worried I might burn the motor as in addition to the heavy load, I also had to whisk the whites. Better to halve the recipe next time as I have only a 20cm square tin too.
~~~

And with 10 egg whites leftover, what can you do with them? These..


Almond Crisps from Agnes Chang, Baking Made Easy

4 egg whites
160g sugar
100g plain flour
200g - 250g almond flakes
2 tsp vanilla essence

Method:
1. Add sugar to egg white, stir until sugar dissolves.
2. Mix sifted flour and almond flakes in a bowl. Add to egg-sugar mix and stir in vanilla. Mixture should look creamy.
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Put a few dollops of mix on the baking (silicon) paper, well spaced apart and use the back of the spoon to flatten the mix as thin as possible on the paper.
4. Bake in preheated oven 180 C for about 12-15 minutes or golden brown. Remove and cool slightly before removing each cookie from baking paper.

Note:
I took the easy way out and made my biscuit in one big thin layer. But it did not bake evenly and the sides got slightly burnt before the middle was baked through. So it's better to make individual biscuits. Size is entirely up to you. Just make sure it is very thin, otherwise it will end up hard although still crunchy. I found it easier to remove from the paper after it cools down as the biscuit will harden upon cooling.

I must warn you, these almond crisps are incredibly addictive because they are so deceptively light and crispy. :)

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idly mused by GFAD on Monday, April 05, 2010, ~ 8 comments

20 years from now.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
'Mom! Is that char siu? Can I have some char siu??'
'Mom!! I'm hungry. Can I have some char siu with noodles?'
'Mom! Later can we buy some doughnuts? I want to eat doughnuts.'

Mom leaves the computer to prepare food for the pesky kid. Boils water to cook pasta. While waiting for the water to boil, she starts measuring ingredients for the doughnut batter.

Chucks spaghetti into the boiling water. Melts butter and mixes it with milk and egg. Sifts the flour, baking powder and custard flour 3 times. Turns on the oven to preheat.

Lights up the stove. Throws siew yoke into hot pan. Sautes with some sugar and garlic. Sploshes in some soya sauce. Transfers spaghetti from pot to pan. A quick stirfry and lunch is done.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a fork for the doughnut batter. Spoon batter 1/2 full into doughnut pan. Bonk pan into oven and bake for 8 minutes. Wash up while waiting. Remove, place on wire rack and dust with cinnamon-laced icing sugar.

Boy, remember this 20 years from now when I need you to take me to the bank/hospital/so-and-so's house. And no backtalk from you, y'hear?


Mini Doughnuts

80 g Plain flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp custard flour

50 g sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

75 ml. fresh milk
1 large egg
30 g melted butter

Sift dry ingredients 3 times.
Mix the wet ingredients, then add sugar and salt and stir until sugar dissolves.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and quickly and lightly mix to bind everything together. Do not overmix. Fill doughnut tray 1/2 full and bake at 190C for 8 minutes.

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idly mused by GFAD on Wednesday, November 18, 2009, ~ 13 comments

OktoRayaValiFest 2009

Sunday, October 25, 2009
I'm all pork-ed out. Engine is wearing out, can't quite process food into energy as efficiently as before. Nowadays it takes more than a week to recover from buffet feasting!

The annual Meridien Oktoberfest celebration is held at a gaily-decorated tennis court every year.


Betcha didn't know that is a tennis court. Initially we wondered why there weren't any black, red and yellow. Turns out blue and white are the Bavarian colours.

Tucked away in a quieter corner of the hotel, I guess it is to prevent the porky-fumes from infiltrating the air. Although the wind was doing a great job spreading the BBQ smoke all the way across the hotel...


A village scene with livestock. Looked realistic. Even smelled like one. Good band - lively music and great yodelling! Chefs and cooks hard at work cooking all that pork. And a very happy boy!

The colors of Bavaria is evident everywhere with each corner decorated with a model of particular scene distinctive to the country. And an authentic Oom-pah 4 pc band was hired to provide the obligatory lively and entertaining music often associated with Oktoberfest.


Mmmm.. no need for words.

We have 2 German chefs specially flown in to thank for this bountiful spread of pork. Bratwurst, meatloaf, goulash, roast knuckle/belly meats/porkchops, sauerkraut, spaetzle, potato dumplings, mash, pretzles. I'm salivating even as I write!


I think that's enough meat for the year.. Oh well, there's always room for a little more char siu. :D
Beers were of course flowing non-stop but for me, it has got to be Köstritzer Schwarzbier. A black beer that looks like Guinness but tastes a whole lot smoother. Prost! - ein Toast!

On a more sober note.. a dignitary graced our shores recently. And hosted a Raya-Deepavali luncheon.


Whatever that's been said about this lady, I must admit she does make a striking First Lady. Her oratory skills are truly impressive - I happened to see her composing her speech within minutes of entering the hall and it was a very well written speech, interspersed with facts from the speech given by the ambassador (who was speaking as she scribbled furiously) and gentle rejoiners addressed to the MC on his earlier introduction. It was eloquently and fluently delivered with some lighthearted remarks about her husband and a woman's penchant for shopping. Her rejoiners to the MC and the inclusion of certain facts from the ambassador's speech shows that she is really sharp and pays attention to what is happening around her despite being busy composing her speech. I don't know what she is like in real life and I don't know if she controls her husband with an iron fist, but I do know for sure I would not like to be on the wrong side of her.


Msian ladies all bright and colorful - like vibrant plumage of tropical birds. Nasi lemak was tasty and satay was lemongrassy..

On a lighter note, the afternoon's entertainment was short and sweet, food good and teh tarik authentic. The curry laksa was a bit on the salty side but lemak enough and tasty. That's how we survive, eh? As long as the food is good, who cares... :P

Time to detox.
 
idly mused by GFAD on Sunday, October 25, 2009, ~ 4 comments

Pot Char Siu

Thursday, October 22, 2009
Is it just me, or does everyone talk to themselves when they are doing things alone? I had the most interesting conversation with myself as I was making the char siu. It was in Malay and it sounded perfectly natural and familiar, "Masak nasi dulu, lepas tu makan babi.." as I went about getting and washing the rice. I'm pretty sure I have NEVER spoken like this to any Malay friends. Must be the quarter Nyonya and full Malaysian in me.. :D

Anyway, I discovered the easiest, mess-free way to make char siu. So easy, you can even do everything from marinating to cooking in one receptacle. Actually I didn't but only because it never occurred to me. But you can learn from my mistake and get it right the first time. Use a heavy-bottomed pot because it will cook better and not dry out the sauce before your meat is cooked.


Gently simmer until meat is cooked and the liquid is reduced. Hence the need for a good heavy-bottomed pot.

My recipe (adapted from this talented mum) has some additional ingredients because I prefer a more savoury flavour.

400 gm pork loin (you can also use belly if you like streaky char siu. Chicken also works, I suppose)
2 tbsp oil
70 gm sugar
¾ tsp salt
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp golden syrup
250 ml water

Mix all marinade ingredients (except the oil) together until sugar melts in a cooking pot or big bowl. Taste if it is to your liking. Then add in the meat. Leave for a few hours, preferably overnight.

Put pot with meat and marinade inside over fire and bring to boil. Then lower heat and gently simmer until liquid is reduced and thickened into a syrupy consistency. Took about 45mins for me. Be sure to turn the meat every now and then so that the sauce coats the meat evenly.


The sauce will bubble when it has thickened. Keep a close eye on it now so that it doesn't burn.

Add the oil before you turn off the fire to give the meat a nice glossy sheen. I broiled the meat to give it a slight charred taste before slicing. This is optional.


Lightly broiled for that smoky charred taste.

Drizzle with sauce and there you have it. Black and sticky, the easiest char siu in the world.


Excellent with lots and lots of rice. And don't forget your greens for a balanced diet.

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idly mused by GFAD on Thursday, October 22, 2009, ~ 8 comments

I Like A Challenge!

Thursday, October 15, 2009
Laundry amah says she fears making chiffon cakes. I told her, 'Conquer your fear! Just do it!' Easy enough to tell someone to overcome their fears. What about myself? I need to push myself. Try something I never done before. My fear? Making a Swiss Roll. I tried once and failed miserably. The cake, if you could call it that, couldn't even be eaten let alone rolled. And ever since then, I had stayed away.

So why did I have a burning desire to make a Swiss Roll today? Many bloggers have done it succesfully. Heck, if I could do a chiffon cake, why not a Swiss Roll? After all it's just a simple sponge cake baked in a tray. No complicated formulas. Just eggs, flour, sugar, oil and water.

After a quick check on youtube, I finally found a video which showed a demonstration of a Swiss Roll made using a food processor. And it looked soooo simple, I decided to go for it. Mind you, it was 2:30pm, the kids get off at 3:10pm and I need to reach school by 3:30pm. That didn't leave me much time. Did I mention I thrive on pressure..?

55 minutes later, tadaa!



My first (successful) Swiss Roll filled with Cream Cheese. I had no cream. I had no jam. I had no pie filling. I wasn't even sure if the cake would turn out, so I didn't bother with checking if I had anything to fill it with. I could always do a simple buttercream if needed. Luckily I had some cream cheese in the fridge. Added some icing sugar to make it slightly sweet, and we're on a roll!

How was it? All 3 kids liked it. I liked it. I enjoyed making it. Next time, I'll pick up a tub of double cream and a punnet of strawberries. Cake anyone?

Magimix Sponge Roll (excellent tutorial here).
I used my food processor with the whisk attachment. A stand/hand mixer would work as well, also using the whisk attachment.

1. 5 egg whites
2. 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3. 80 g sugar
4. 5 egg yolks
5. 1 tsp vanilla
6. 3 tbsp water
7. 50 g self-raising flour } mix and sieve
8. 30 g cornflour } 3 times
9. 3 tbsp corn oil

Whisk #1 until foamy. Add #2. Whisk some more. Then add #3. in 3 batches. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
Add in #4. (and #5.), one at a time. Mix thoroughly after each addition.
Using Pulse function, add #6, a tablespoon at a time. Then still on Pulse mode, add #7 and #8, spoonful by spoonful until no traces of flour is left.
Finally fold in the oil.
Pour into baking paper-lined tray (12"x12" or 13"x10") and bake at 180C for about 15-20 minutes.
Transfer baked roll together with paper onto a wire rack, paper side down. Cover with the baking tray and leave to cool.
Once cooled, spread with cream or jam and roll tightly (like how you roll sushi, with the baking paper acting like the sushi mat). If the cake is cooled sufficiently, it will not stick on the baking paper when you are rolling it.
Wrap rolled cake in the used baking paper and chill in refrigerator for about 1/2 hour before slicing.

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idly mused by GFAD on Thursday, October 15, 2009, ~ 4 comments

Goong Jiu Kek

Monday, October 12, 2009
Mum makes marvellous chiffon cakes. I used to observe her making chiffon cakes. She made it seem so easy. So I thought nothing of it. Never even attempted making one as it was always readily available. Until I moved away and started having cravings for it. Since mum was miles away, instead of asking for her recipe, I searched the internet for recipes and found so many failed attempts! Doubts crept in. Maybe I should just abandon my search and wait until I went home for holidays to ask mum. But that will be months away!

Oh what the heck! I finally found one that guarantees success and voila! I have not looked back since.


I like making chiffon cakes. To me, it's the easiest cake to whip up and you don't have to line or grease/flour the cake tin (which I really dislike).

Strangely enough, I have never bothered to blog about my chiffon cakes. The first chiffon cake I made, was a Pandan Chiffon Cake adapted from an Orange Chiffon Cake recipe. And whaddya know, mum's skill must be hereditary as *touch wood* I have almost never failed in all my chiffon cake endeavours. It just came as naturally as riding a bike or swimming after abstaining for a long time. All those sitting by the table watching mum must have ingrained something in me. :)

Banana Chiffon (Recipe from this very helpful baker)

3 egg yolks
25g caster sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

30ml corn oil
85g banana puree (about 2 medium size bananas)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
45g plain flour + 10g cornflour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
50g caster sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degC. Sieve together flour and baking soda, set aside. Mash banana, set aside.

2. Separate egg yolks/whites and bring to room temperature.

3. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl until sugar just dissolved. Add in salt, oil, essence and mashed banana. Whisk till combined. Sieve over the flour mixture and fold gently with a spatula until flour is fully incorporated into the batter.

4. In a clean, dry mixing bowl, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Add in the sugar in 3 separate additions while beating at high speed till stiff peaks form.

5. Add the egg white foam into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, each time folding gently with a spatula until just blended.

6. Pour batter into a 16cm or 18cm (6 inch or 7 inch) tube pan (do not grease the pan). Spread and smooth the batter evenly with a spatula.

7. Bake for 25 ~ 30mins or until the cake surface turns golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

8. Remove from the oven and invert the pan immediately. Let cool completely before unmoulding.

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idly mused by GFAD on Monday, October 12, 2009, ~ 2 comments

Ngai heh hakka moi.

Saturday, October 03, 2009
Hakka food is not good for those who watch their diets. On a low-carbo diet, forget it. On a low-fat diet, forget it. On a low-salt diet, forget it. On a low-cholesterol diet, forget it. Most hakka dishes are robust and flavorful, and goes extremely well with white rice. Too well, methinks.

Pork.. the favourite of hakkas. Well, the favourite of most Chinese anyway regardless of dialect. But have you noticed the most famous hakka dishes consists of those with pork? Vinegared pork trotters aka chi keok chou, Preserved vege stewed with pork aka mui choy kau yoke, Fish&Pork paste stuffed vege aka Hakka yong tau foo, Yam stewed with pork aka woo thau kau yoke.

But my favourite has got to be these. Char Yoke! Pork belly stewed with nam yee and wood ear fungus. Mum is a hokkien but after being married to a hakka for so long, she makes a mean char yoke. I always reminisce about her char yoke when I am away. So much so, that I decided to do the thing I always say I would never do - deep fry! Because in order to have good char yoke, one has to deep fry the pork before stewing.


Chunky thick slices of pork belly, marinated in nam yee, 5-spice powder, white pepper, fish sauce, sugar, Chinese cooking wine, oyster sauce, sesame oil, plain flour, cornflour and egg. Then deep-fried to fragrant perfection. Good enough to eat straightaway, but I've got other plans for these lovelies.


Wood ear fungus aka mook yee aka bok nee. Soaked for a couple of hours. Precious because it is usually airflown into the country. The last of my stock.. sigh.
This is good for enriching the blood apparently. I was encouraged to eat loads of it during my confinement period. I love the crunchy texture of it. Makes a lovely Chinese salad too.


Saute some garlic, shallots and more nam yee. Throw in the wood fungus and stir fry a bit. Then add the deep fried pork (of course I tested one piece first to make sure it tasted ok..), some water and stew until the pork is tender.

It was so worth the greasy kitchen. Soooo good. Soooo comforting. Soooo much rice went with it!!

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idly mused by GFAD on Saturday, October 03, 2009, ~ 3 comments

Food blogger? Moi?!

Sunday, September 27, 2009
If restaurants had to depend my blog reviews to bring in the customers, they'd chap-ped lupt (bankrupt) by now. I really admire the dogged determination and tenacity of some of the bloggers out there. There is this one blogger - his blog is practically a directory of all the eateries in town! And properly categorised too! And another - she has done 10 posts on her 6D5N holiday trip and still counting. And what about that lady who posts almost every single dish she cooks and bakes. All with accompanying photos. (I'm really happy for you, and I'mma gonna let you finish but MsXXX has the best blog of all times!!)

Me? Most of the time, this is all I can ever manage..

It starts off promising. I take the obligatory photo of the restaurant signboard.

Why the additional board in front of the entrance? During Ramadhan, most eateries are closed during the day except for those in hotels. And these have to be covered so that those who are fasting cannot see those eating, and hence temptation is removed. Like everything else that is covered up in this part of the world..

And while waiting for the food to arrive, I'll have time to shoot whatever else that looks remotely interesting..

Colourful kids menu with kid size portion meals. Which in actual fact is big enough to feed some ladies with small appetites..

Then the first dish arrives.

Errmm... I'm guessing chicken fried rice (tasty with the necessary wok hei). Comes with miso soup (tasteless) and pickles (exactly like what you always find in Jap restaurants. Nice)

That's it. It's not so bad if the food arrives together. But more often than not, by the time the second dish arrives I'll be busy allocating food to the hungry birdies and not have the time nor hands to snap any more photos.

What else did we have? The Wagamama Ramen (ciu phai meen) and.. and.. dayme! I can't remember!! The noodle was huge, with lots of ingredients. But somehow without any photos, I lose all interest in blogging about it.

So that is the extent of my review of Wagamama.

And what about the rest of our 2D1N Dubai mini holiday?

I believe this is the Emirates Tower. Supposed to be quite iconic as it appears in a fair number of literature relating to Dubai. Snapped this photo while the kids were frolicking in the pool with their father. Wouldn't it be nice if the lamp post could just disappear..

Sheikh Zayed Road, the main arterial road into the city, with buildings on the left and right of the road. It looks remarkably like the Federal Highway. Especially its propensity to become a carpark when filled with cars.


I guess I could complement the rest of my post with hotel photos flicked from the internet but where's the fun in that, eh? Oh well if I wanted to sound posh, I could say that this is my "style" but pshaw.. posh-smosh. Let's just say Discovery Travel and Living won't be knocking on my door any time soon.
 
idly mused by GFAD on Sunday, September 27, 2009, ~ 11 comments

Oh my lor.. bak!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Have you ever noticed that in order for the food to taste good, the dirtier the kitchen has to be? Think of the best hokkien mee, BKT, satay, maggi goreng, nasi lemak, curry laksa you've ever had - can you honestly say you were served in the most sanitised and hygienic surroundings?

It's the same with my kitchen. No, it's never that dirty! But in order to come up with something that tastes half decent, the kitchen can never be in pristine condition. Anyone who has made sambal ikan bilis, curry chicken and char kuay teow at home can attest to that. Somehow the taste and authenticity of the food is inversely proportional to the cleanliness of the kitchen.

Which leads to my most recent experiment. I never deep fry. I don't even like to shallow fry. I dislike the lingering smell of oil in my kitchen. And my hair. And my clothes. And that goes without saying, I dislike feeling the oil in my face.

I bake instead. I bake french fries. I bake bacon and sausages. If I could, I'd bake popiah and doughnuts as well. I even (steam)bake fish and meat as well.

Anyway, I digress. I finally found something which we like to eat immensely and I can't make it unless it is deep fried. Oh horrors! But being the true overseas anak Malaysia that I am, when we miss home food, we make it ourselves! It may not be exactly authentic Penang style, but I made it the way I like it. And the way I remembered my late Aunt Peggy used to make it.

Clockwise, from left: 1. Diced meat, marinated overnight with garlic, 5-spice powder, oyster sauce, pepper, soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce. 2. Bean curd skin, preciously hand carried from Sect 17 Sentosa market, wiped clean with damp cloth and cut neatly into rectangles. 3. My little beauties all wrapped up. I call them pigs in satin blankets. 4. The piggies after being steamed for about 12 minutes.

I used tapioca starch to bind the meat, but found that after cooking, the meat tended to be a little slimy from the cooked starch. The sliminess made it taste a bit uncooked. And not very tightly bounded either. Next time, I will use cornflour and an egg instead.

My first few pieces, I fried immediately. Being the inexperienced deep-fryer that I am, I fried it longer than I should because I wanted it to be cooked through. And it turned out darker than expected. So I steamed the rest of the uncooked rolls. That way, I can fry them quickly just enough to have the skin crisp. And this time, I got the colour right!

Aah.. nothing beats homemade lorbak. You know what kind of meat goes in the rolls, and you know the oil used for frying has not been recycled umpteenth times.

I miss my Aunt Peggy. Sometimes I would return to Ipoh and expect her to be there. I would have loved to cook for her. She'd be proud.

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idly mused by GFAD on Tuesday, September 15, 2009, ~ 8 comments

May Sunshine - 140509

Friday, August 21, 2009

A daughter brings sunshine
to brighten your day.
A daughter brings joy
through her loving ways.
A daughter is a blessing
that comes from above.
A special and beautiful
treasure to love.

A daughter is love
all wrapped up so sweet,
She giggles with joy
from way down to her feet.
A treasure and comfort
to delight every day.
She fills up my life
in her own special way!

Happy Birthday, my love.


* * *


Should be easy to make this cake. Round cake. No problem. Flower cutouts. Easy-peasy. Bunny. Kacang putih la. Then just a matter of assembly and voila! all done.

I did some preliminary sketches of the bunny and let HY choose from 2.

Bunny A

Bunny B

Little did I know how difficult it was to transfer cutesy from paper to fondant!! Aaarghh!! Mutant rabbit from planet fugly was staring me in the face!!

After numerous modifications, finally a more presentable rabbit emerged. Nowhere as cute as my drawing, but at least fugly bunny was no more. It looked even better after I removed the whiskers.


Oh well. Another year to hone my decorating skills. Hopefully next year I can push myself further and come up with something that will draw more oohs and aahs from my babies.
 
idly mused by GFAD on Friday, August 21, 2009, ~ 9 comments